


Coming Home

by FinditAgain



Category: Shadowhunters (TV), The Shadowhunter Chronicles - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Christmas Fluff, Jalec Secret Santa 2020, M/M, Parabatai Bond, Parabatai Feels, Pining, Secret Santa, jalec secret santa, jss2020
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-24
Updated: 2020-12-24
Packaged: 2021-03-10 23:35:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,355
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28255518
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FinditAgain/pseuds/FinditAgain
Summary: The stakes were high for Jace this Christmas.He was determined to show his parabatai how important he was to Jace. But for that to happen, first Alec needed to come home.
Relationships: Alec Lightwood/Jace Wayland
Comments: 12
Kudos: 48
Collections: Jalec Secret Santa 2020





	Coming Home

**Author's Note:**

  * For [kimannebb](https://archiveofourown.org/users/kimannebb/gifts).



> Happy Holidays to [kimannebb](https://archiveofourown.org/users/kimannebb/pseuds/kimannebb)! 
> 
> Not gonna lie this was heavily inspired by your Hallmark movie reviews. I hope you like your gift.
> 
> A thousand thanks to [A_Taupe_Fox](https://archiveofourown.org/users/A_Taupe_Fox/pseuds/A_Taupe_Fox) for beta-ing this story. You're amazing!

Jace left the bustling hallway and stepped into the office for the Head of the Institute, closing the door behind him. It was a windy winter morning, the trees stood starkly against the stained glass windows casting a looming shadow that overpowered the already dim and silent room.

Alec wasn't there.

His heart sank once he realized he was alone. It had been weeks since he last saw his parabatai face to face.

Missing Alec was a juxtaposition. Could you miss someone when they were as much a part of you as the blood flowing through your veins? Well, apparently Jace could. He wasn't even surprised: doing the impossible and causing himself endless grief had always been his strong suits.

He reached for their bond, holding his breath even as he focused on the indescribable place within himself, somewhere he only knew unequivocally as _Alec_. He felt the pull of someone reaching back with curiosity and Jace relished having his parabatai’s notice even for just a minute. He could sense Alec close whenever he wanted to by focusing on their bond just like this. Like right now, when he put his mind to it he could tell that Alec was engrossed in something else, in that singular ‘blinders on’ way he tended to get while working. That probably meant there was no immediate danger.

He could sense as Alec nudged him, almost like a quiet caress through the bond, before his focus went fully back to whatever he was doing before. Nevertheless, his gentle, steady presence remained incredibly close. It was effective in calming Jace for a moment, although the longing for his Parabatai didn’t relent.

Yes, he could feel Alec through the bond, that was the only thing keeping him sane most days. Still, Jace missed the weight of Alec's stare when he was looking back at him like they were the only two people in the room.

Jace missed the sly twist of Alec’s lips when he didn't want to outright laugh at Jace’s jokes, and even the smell of pine trees that seemed to follow Alec wherever he went.

His parabatai’s gaze, his attention. None of that was _on_ Jace and hadn't been for what seemed like forever. It was hard to even remember the last time they had a real conversation between them.

He missed his parabatai and for a moment the sensation was so strong he swore he could almost feel Alec grasping his shoulder in a familiar sign of comfort. He heard the creak of the door behind him and his heart skipped a beat, but when he turned it was only Izzy that appeared in the doorway.

“What are you doing in here?” she leaned her hip against the doorframe, looking at him with both eyebrows raised. When she walked towards him, her hair glinted inky black in the window light. She’d been working on testing the new order of throwing stars all morning and a fine layer of sweat on her face.

“I thought Alec might have been back by now. He’s coming in tomorrow, right?”

“Oh,” Izzy’s lips pressed together briefly in a slight grimace, “Alec sent a fire message. They set up another emergency Council meeting, he isn't coming back this week.”

“But—today is the twentieth,” he said, his stomach clenching with dread.

It was a Lightwood (and Lightwood adjacent) tradition to always spend the week leading up to Christmas together. Shadowhunters didn't really ascribe to any religion because when it came to creatures and demons, all the stories were true. But when Jace first came to live in New York he fell in love with the idea of Christmas, amazed by the city lights and lavish red and green decorations. It was like the entire city was celebrating together. For a ten year old who’d never even had a birthday cake before, it was the most magical thing he’d ever seen.

Ever since then, he and the three Lightwood siblings would always take charge of the old church during the week leading up to the twenty-fifth of december; decorating the rooms and drinking Izzy’s botched up eggnog. It was a tradition started by Alec, he remembered with a pang. A tradition started to make Jace feel welcomed at the Institute.

“I know,” Izzy tilted her chin down and frowned, “he’s even going to miss that stupid Secret Angel thing Simon’s making us do.”

“He can't miss that,” he said, disgruntled. Simon had badgered them into his mundane holiday tradition of randomly getting assigned someone to give a gift to. A special gift, if Simon and Clary were to be believed. They were supposed to open all the gifts together on Christmas Eve.

If Alec wasn't there, who was going to distract the security team so Izzy could sneak in the shoddy Christmas tree that went against regulation? Who was going to make hot chocolate just the way Max liked it? Who was going to go up to the roof at sunrise with Jace on Christmas day? Alec might have been the one least interested in celebrating a mundane holiday, but he was the one who made it special for the rest of them.

“How am I supposed to figure out what to get now?” he mused aloud.

Izzy unceremoniously leaned against Alec’s desk, scrutinizing him from top to bottom before rolling her eyes. “Jace, we went to like five stores together last week. You've been overthinking this way too much, whatever you get for Clary she’ll love.”

“I didn't get Clary.”

Her head swiveled in an impressively nimble move that looked like it would have cracked anyone else's neck. Her shrewd eyes searched Jace’s face for who knows what.

“If you didn't pick Clary’s name, why have you been obsessing about it having to be, and I quote ‘the perfect thing’?”

“I got Alec,” he said distracted, already thinking about how he could get Alec to come back by the twenty-fourth. Maybe he could bribe Underhill into reporting an infestation of Mantid demons.

“Just get him the specialized arrows you get him every year.”

Jace shook his head. No, this Christmas had to be different.

“A gift isn't going to stop Alec from taking the Consul offer,” she declared, tipping her head to the side as if he was one of the corpses she spent hours studying, “you know that, right?”

He squirmed, looking away from her knowing gaze. Consul Penhallow was set to retire at the beginning of the year, rumor was that Alec was the most likely candidate to replace her. And though Jace was happy for his parabatai, being Consul meant Alec would be working full time in Idris.

It had been a rough couple of years for the New York Institute. In-between defeating Valentine, Alec being in a relationship for the first time, dealing with Lilith, and not to mention everything that happened between Jace and Clary and their eventual breakup, it was no wonder his daily adventures with Alec and Izzy were a thing of the past.

It was even what he had wanted, once upon a time: a change in their routine of mission after mission seemed like a breath of fresh air. It’s why getting swept up into his relationship with Clary had appeared to be just what he needed back then.

But now that the dust had settled, nothing had prepared him for the sudden and intense realization that things truly were not the same anymore, especially with his parabatai. He couldn't simply go up to Alec and ask him to spar or expect to find him in his office when the Enclave was in the middle of important negotiations in Idris.

To top it all off there were these newfound— _feelings_. Feelings for none other than his best friend. Ever since he could remember he had wanted to be close to Alec, to share his time and be in his space. He’s not sure when that turned into a dire need, except he was certain it had been that way long before they became parabatai— to the point where he doesn't remember ever feeling any different. But the physical distance had made him realize that nowadays it was something more. After so much time apart there was this burning _want_ in his chest when he thought of Alec, something all-consuming and totally unfamiliar to Jace.

And yet, even with new feelings to contend with, through it all, the most jarring thing for him had been spending nights patrolling the city and turning to his side to find that it wasn't Alec’s face staring back at him every night. If Alec became Consul, he would be stationed in Idris permanently, and Jace would be expected to take leadership of the New York Institute. They’d be apart most of the time.

And if Alec met someone again…

An unwanted image unfolded before Jace’s eyes. He saw Alec as Consul, working hard into the night. Meeting the eligible sons of Idris’ elite. Men who would come to Jace later, tell him all the virtues of his parabatai, beg him for stories of a time before, just to see if it matched up to the man they knew now, the man they knew better than Jace ever could.

 _Just like what had started to happen when he was with Magnus_. His chest tightened painfully at the thought.

In some ways it made him long for the days of war, where the urgency of battle meant that they were never parted for long. He wasn't proud of it, but even the days after Alec’s breakup had felt like a reprieve. For a brief moment they were once again inseparable, training together, sharing every meal and talking well into the night, like when they were kids.

And then a couple of months ago the Clave reforms had officially come into effect. And suddenly Alec was in Spain, and then China and then Idris. Anywhere but right there next to him.

Now it was worse. Now he was sharing Alec with something so much more than a relationship with someone else, something that went beyond their bond. Alec was turning into a leader for their people, and the thought of losing him to duty made something in his throat close up, like he was choking. It felt somehow like giving up.

And Jace was never one to back down from a fight.

“Maybe not, but it could remind him he has things in his life other than work,” ‘ _like me_ ’ goes unsaid but he knew she heard it.

Izzy gave him an encouraging smile. “Well, he does deserve a little appreciation.”

Jace agreed. He had been taking his parabatai and their relationship for granted, always believing that the bond would be enough to keep them close. Hell, that's the reason he asked Alec to be his parabatai in the first place, so Jace wouldn't lose him to anyone or anything. And maybe it was the daytime tv, or spending too much time with Simon, but Jace had a new-found plan to appreciate Alec and keep him. Secret Angel was meant to be the perfect start.

He was determined to show Alec how important he was. But for that to happen Alec had to actually be home.

“So you'll help me?”

“Of course, just promise you'll talk to him,” Izzy said, one hand curled around Alec’s fancy pen, “we aren't losing him, especially not you. You two are bonded in a way that will never change.”

“Yeah and I still miss him.”

“Portals still exist, you know,” she drawled.

“Trust me Izzy, I just need to give him a good reason to stay.”

-*-

There was a whisper crying out to him in the dark.

It was quiet, but unrelenting. Calling to him like a persistent refrain. It felt like someone was poking at his chest, over and over and over again.

“Wake up, Herondale,” something pitched forward and started dripping against his arms, the ones Jace was currently resting his head on. He looked up to find Maia with an empty tray and an annoyed look on her face. “Your phone is ringing.”

He was about to tell her to take away the pitcher of beer she put in front of him, but she was forgotten as soon as he saw the name on his screen. “Alec,” he said, ignoring how the name almost sounded like a prayer to his own ears.

“Hey,” Alec’s deep voice echoed back to him. “Are you okay?”

Hearing him gave Jace a sense of unexpected giddiness, making him smile way too wide for a six p.m. brooding session at the Hunter’s Moon. He couldn't care less. “I'm fine. How go the reform meetings?”

“Exhausting,” Alec muttered with an audible sigh.

“What? No time for rest when you're one of the big bosses?”

“Being part of a committee isn’t being a boss, it's more like being a show girl.”

“Oh yeah? Well, you would look good in a headdress,” he drummed his fingers against the table. He could picture Alec right now, shaking his head at Jace in amusement.

Maia was shooting him weird looks from behind the bar, but again he couldn't care when he heard Alec snort in his ear, “I’ll be sure to suggest that in the next session.”

Jace grinned despite himself, warmth radiating throughout his body. Still, he longed to see that smile himself, to hear Alec laugh in person.

“Are you sure you're alright?” Alec cleared his throat, “I've been getting this weird feeling.”

“Like what?” Jace squirmed in his seat. As pleasing as it was to be talking to Alec directly, it only magnified the acute sense of hollowness that he’d been feeling from being away from him for so long. Just talking to him for a few minutes was enough to set a craving low in his stomach, a yearning to hear Alec's voice up close and personal. It had gotten so bad that he had taken to wearing one of the threadbare sweaters Alec had left in his room. It still even smelled a bit like him, like Christmas pine.

“Like— an ache?” Alec said, voice unsettled.

He realized that whatever Alec was receiving from his side of the bond might be worrying, but the thought of reining in their connection from Jace’s end unsettled him. This was as close as he could get to Alec for now.

Jace let the silence sit for a second, unsure of what to say.

“Jace?”

He knew, without being able to say exactly how he knew, that Alec was clutching the phone too hard in his hands.

“Maybe you just miss me,” he tried for a nonchalant tone and probably ended up a step away from desperate.

He was relieved when Alec said, “I most definitely miss you Jace.”

“Good. Then come back already.”

“I wish I could be there, but the Downworlder cabinet is hanging by a thread. They can't do this without me.”

A different voice sounds in the background making Jace sit up on instinct.

“Who is that?”

“Shit. They're calling in for another meeting. I have to go, I'll call you tonight okay?”

And before Jace could protest he was gone.

Would that meeting turn into a whole week's worth of summits? Maybe Alec wouldn't be back to New York until January, maybe not even then. Maybe he would spend Jace’s birthday huddled up with a bottle of scotch, with half the Enclave yapping in his ear about transfer request forms.

Jace pushed away the thought. Alec had worked hard to be where he was; he was entitled to do as he thought right. There was a time when Alec spent all of his time looking at Jace with intent in his eyes, and it was his own fault for wasting it. The fact that Alec kept their bond blissfully open was more than he could ever deserve.

 _But how long would that last?_ Said a nagging voice in his head. Alec had grown so much during the war. He was braver, more sure of his place in the world. And Jace was just—older. Tired.

He swore under his breath, hands gripping the edge of the table. He wanted to believe that he would always stay close with Alec, but he had to face up to the fact that they were on different paths now. He closed his fists tight, fingernails biting into the palms and wondered if their paths would ever merge again.

“Did I just hear you flirting with Alec?” Simon entered the Hunter’s Moon, a harsh winter wind blowing after him. He carried a handful of bags in hand with Izzy just a few steps behind.

“Shut up,” he replied neutrally.

“Oh, you better change your tune because I come bearing many, many gifts in your honor.”

Jace perked up at his words, “You got all of it?”

“You don’t want to know all the strings I had to pull to get some of this stuff,” Izzy groaned. She hauled all of her own bags next to Simon’s on the table, jostling the pitcher even more. He’d given them a list of things to get as possible presents for Alec, and from what he could see they’d found everything on it.

“I owe you so big,” he grinned as soon as he saw their findings, going through them one by one and adding things to the box he had sitting in a chair next to him.

“Listen man, I'm all about the big gesture scene at the end of a romantic Christmas movie—”

Jace cringed, hoping he wasn't blushing when he grumbled back at Simon: “I know fifteen ways to maim you without standing up.”

“Sure you do, Buddy.”

Jace rolled his eyes while Simon traded amused glances with Izzy.

“But seriously, don’t you think this is overkill for a Secret Santa? Emphasis on the _secret_ ,” Simon said with a huff.

“ _He_ doesn't know I’m his secret _Angel_ ” Jace responded with a frown, “Secret Santa makes no sense, there’s only supposed to be one Santa and he isn't even real.”

“Oh and how many Angels are there on earth?” the vampire asked.

“Nephlims are part angel,” Izzy said, waving her hand in dismissal. “Besides what do you care about Santa? Aren't you Jewish?”

“Good point,” Simon nodded his head empathically. “Anonymous gift giving is the correct non denominational term. But that’s besides the point. Isn’t this,” he waved over the table full of all of his gift options for Alec, “too much? Alec isn't exactly the greedy type.”

Jace looked over the box he’d been carrying all day. “It’s not like this is the entire Gucci collection or whatever. I know Alec and he’ll like all of this.”

“There's one thing he’ll like even better though.” Simon’s stupid eyebrows went up and down sugggestively.

“Simon, don't break Jace before he can confess his love to my brother,” he shot Izzy a wild-eyed look at her comment, but she just smirked back.

“Ah,” Jace carefully inspected the box of fairy-blessed brownies in front of him, avoiding her gaze. “Caught that, did you?”

“Took me a minute, but I figured it out; wearing his sweaters was a big clue.”

She sat down and draped herself over Jace, showing her feelings about the situation quite clearly. Jace looked down at his hands and smiled. He was lucky to have her. He tried out the shape of the words he ought to say to her in his head, about all the things he wanted and how the world looked brand new and terrifying.

But the two of them had always been similar, and when she squeezed his arm he knew he didn't really have to say anything at all.

Not to her at least.

He surveyed all of their findings, suddenly feeling uncharacteristically nervous. All of this was good, but was it enough?

If he was honest with himself there was one last thing he could give Alec, the perfect gift.

He hoped beyond words that his parabatai would like it, otherwise it would be a gloomy Christmas this year.

-*-

A gentle layer of snow fell over Idris. Jace ran his stele over the outline of his _thermis_ rune to deactivate it, marveling at how Idris’ winter tempered in comparison to New York. Instead of the biting cold, it was a pleasant chill despite the snow, the sun somehow still shining over the city and illuminating his way towards Lightwood manor.

Something told him to come in through the back patio, the wards immediately recognizing him when he passed the iron gates. If he were paying attention he could have even heard birds chirping in the trees, but everything went out of focus once he saw Alec sitting on a low, cement barrier looking up at the snow.

Suddenly all he seemed able to do was look at his parabatai. Jace studied the taller man in utter fascination. He eyed Alec’s stance, noting the lack of injuries. His parabatai looked happy and well rested, like Idris had done Alec good.

Jace stood there watching as the beautiful planes of Alec’s face turned towards him, cheeks rosy from the cold. An expression of shock swept over Alec’s face, Jace could even see one of Alec’s fists clench as he neared. With every step Jace took notice of something else. Like Alec’s untamed hair and the snowflakes settling gracefully onto his long, dark eyelashes.

“Jace,” he said, a wide smile overcoming his expression. All Jace could think was _yes, this, finally_.

A wave of concern surged through him as soon as they were close enough to touch. It took him a second to distinguish it as something from Alec, unused to the strength of their bond when they were so close.

“What are you doing here?”

“It’s December twenty-fourth,” he finally said softly, knowing even as he spoke that this was right, he was meant to spend all his Christmases with Alec. “I’m here to give you your Secret Angel present.”

Alec blinked down at him slowly. “You took a portal to Idris just to give me a present?”

“Yes.”

“I—okay,” he said, uncertain. Then Alec spotted the overflowing box in Jace’s arms with wide eyes, “Is this it?”

Alec took the box from Jace’s hands and placed it next to himself. Jace watched while he reached in and took out the charmed arm guard. Jace had to trade in his favorite naginata for it, but the look on Alec’s face was worth it.

“Holy shit Jace, this is amazing”, he said with wonder.

“An iron sister hand-picked that. But it's not really your present.”

“Oh.”

Alec set it aside with a frown and reached for something else. “Is it this sweater?” Alec smiled gently, rubbing the material against his fingers. He’d seen Alec tear apart his favorite sweater in battle and asked Izzy to find the exact same one to replace it.

“— no, that's not it either.”

Alec narrowed his eyes at him before putting the sweater down. “Well then, what is it?”

Alec idly searched in the box and Jace watched him take particular notice of the rare Nephlim history book, the thick black hunting boots, and the robusta coffee beans, all clearly things meant for him.

“So here’s the thing,” Jace finished unpacking them all onext to where Alec sat, letting him take his look. “You're the most difficult person to find a gift for, you know that?”

“ _Me_? Jace I don't need a gift.”

“I know you don't care, but you deserve everything, Alec. I brought all these things for you but it’s not enough. I’d give you everything if I could because,” he rolled his shoulders, like he was bracing for impact, “I love you.”

Alec’s face went soft just as he stood up and took a step towards Jace. But before he could open his mouth and say it back, say it in the way they'd always said it, Jace goes on:

“—and I'm sorry.”

“Sorry?”

“For never telling you what you are to me.”

Alec’s eyes were rapt on Jace’s face, and when he spoke it was soft and careful, like he was afraid something would shatter if his voice was any louder. “I’m your parabatai,” he said.

Jace stepped up close to him, right in his space and relished how Alec looked him right in the eye, like he always had. He put one arm around the span of the taller man’s back and his other hand on Alec’s bicep, projecting calm by using his touch and letting Alec know that it would be okay.

“You're the thing that makes all the pain worth bearing, the struggling and the broken promises from everyone else. The loneliness of being another body in this fight—you make it better.”

He watched Alec’s throat visibly swallow, yet his parabatai remained quiet.

“So I'm giving you the best gift I could think of,” Jace said with a smirk, faking confidence he doesn't entirely feel as he twists around in display.

“You're giving me your leather jacket?”

Jace huffed a laugh looking at Alec’s adorably confused frown.

“No Alec,” having him so close there was just one thing Jace could think to do. He reached for him slowly, fingers grazing down Alec’s cheekbones. He had such a pretty face. Some might think of him as stoic, but if you knew to look for it Alec’s face was never still, his eyebrows rising in constant motion. Before he knew it he was taking that face in both hands and slowly, oh so slowly, pressing their mouths together.

The moment their lips touched Jace almost gasped. All he could feel was Alec. Alec running through his veins, their hearts pumping in sync, warmth spreading from that deep place inside of him up to their runes, up to Alec and back. That place that would always irrevocably belong to them.

It was the sweetest, softest kiss Jace had ever had. It was their lips held against one another’s in a tentative press, then rubbed back and forth, noses brushing together. At the same time, it was the most intense experience of his life. Warmth unfurled in his chest, burning in powerful wisps that sparked up parts of him he didn't even know he had.

He’d never felt more alive.

He held in a sound of protest when Alec’s head tilted back, slowly pulling them apart. Jace shivered as the cool air hit his wet lips. There was a swooping sensation in his head, like all of his blood was rushing towards it.

“ _I'm_ your present,” he said, low and husky. He wanted that mouth back on his and all that hard muscle pressing against him. “That is, if you want me.”

Alec heaved a breathy gasp, an astonished look gracing his face. He stared at Jace with awe in his eyes, so wide and light and open that it made Jace just want to lose himself in them.

"I don't know what's happening," Alec bit his lower lip, obviously confused.

“Fuck,” Jace tried to shuffle away from the panicked tone, but Alec’s grip on him tightened.

So he doesn’t relent either, instead making sure that every single thing he felt in that kiss could be sensed through the bond. Opening himself up like that felt impossibly intimate, especially when Alec’s face morphed into a stunned look of happiness.

“I missed you these last few weeks. I missed looking at your face. And do you want to know the worst part? I wasn't expecting to. I was so used to walking past the corner to find you because I wanted to tell you something, or maybe just even see your grumpy frown. But then I’d realized that you weren’t there and _every time_ it was like being impaled by my own kindjal. ”

Alec shook his head, mouth wide with disbelief. Jace grasped his shoulders, bringing them closer. The air was heavy and heady, their breathing the only sound in the silent, cold morning; making it seem like they were enclosed in their own little bubble.

"You were right about what you said— about the ache. It’s like I have this... hole,” he pressed against Alec’s hip where he was sure the parabatai rune was throbbing just like his own, “right there. And it’s screaming at me to do anything I can not to lose you.”

He kept going despite his throat growing thick. "I adore you, do you know that? You're the most important thing I have," he said, trying to put it all into words. “Worst of all, I didn’t even know how much until we were apart. I love you. I have loved you for as long as I can remember."

“Jace—” he couldn't make out the tone of Alec’s voice, but the ferocity burning in his eyes was enough to bring Jace to his knees. It left him without balance, disoriented and aching.

“I’m sorry it took me so long to see it. To see you,” Jace said with regret.

Alec seemed completely taken aback, mouth practically hanging open, still staring at Jace without a word. Jace stayed perfectly still, muscles tense in anticipation.

“I know a lot has happened since you used to--” he said with a hand gesture, “you know, feel like that. Is it too late?”

Alec stared back at him solemnly, giving it serious consideration, giving _him_ serious consideration. It made Jace feel scrutinized in a way no superior officer ever had.

He could hear his blood pounding in his ears, every second that went by felt like a century. Fighting a blush without much success, he started to squirm where he stood. That seemed to deflate Alec, his lips twitching at the corners, making Jace’s heart light up.

“No,” Alec said, easy, finally bringing one hand to hold on to Jace by the waist while with the other he reached over and touched Jace's mouth, his thumb pressing into his lower lip. When Jace leaned in to the touch he could feel the way Alec shivered and said, “It’s not too late.”

This time Alec was the one who surged forward and pulled him into a searing kiss. Jace pressed into Alec’s body, every ounce of tension melted off Jace’s shoulders as he stood there, angling his head and kissing Alec back, _thoroughly_. Alec responded by holding Jace tighter and running his fingers through his unruly hair, making Jace’s pulse race. The bond sang between them, drowning out every other sensation in a wave of warmth.

One of them moaned, low and pleading, their lips merging together so hard it hurt. Still, Jace wouldn't change a second of it. Nothing mattered more than this; than the wisps of fire that burned wherever their skin met. He could feel everything coming together, their intertwined souls relishing in their kiss.

Minutes, hours, days later they both pulled away, grinning madly at each other.

“I love you too, Jace,” Alec said, eyes gleaming. “I'll always love you.” His words stirred something wild and tender in Jace’s lungs. They stood there together, holding each other in the pristine snow.

“What else is in the box?”

A flicker of pride ran through him at hearing Alec’s hoarse voice. Jace celebrated it by hiding his face against the crook of Alec’s neck, breathing him in deep and pressing a light kiss there, causing Alec to shiver.

“Just some of my stuff.”

“You're staying?” Something warm and soothing curled in Jace’s stomach even as his body trembled from the snow.

“I thought you might need some back up to make sure you've got that Consul job in the bag.”

Alec failed to rein in his wide smile, and when Jace opened his mouth to say something witty the words died right there and then as Alec pressed in even closer, gently nipping at his lower lip, sending a world of sensations swiftly through Jace’s body until every inch of his skin chanted in happiness. It felt like the start of something amazing.

It felt like coming home.

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Holidays!


End file.
